Cheese course: Andante Acapella with dried persimmon and a glaze of Riesling gelee

Cheese course: Andante Acapella with dried persimmon and a glaze of Riesling gelee

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Sorbet with Satsuma mandarins

Sorbet with Satsuma mandarins

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The French Laundry version of a root beer float

The French Laundry version of a root beer float

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A tarte Tatin with applesauce and whiskey anglaise

A tarte Tatin with applesauce and whiskey anglaise

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The signature cappuccino semifreddo

The signature cappuccino semifreddo

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Macaroons, chocolate covered nuts and cinnamon sugar doughnuts

Macaroons, chocolate covered nuts and cinnamon sugar doughnuts

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The chocolate service

The chocolate service

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The details: a close-up of the flower arrangement on each table

The details: a close-up of the flower arrangement on each table

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A special machine makes ice for the single- malt Scotch service

A special machine makes ice for the single- malt Scotch service

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The round cube in the glass

The round cube in the glass

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The folded napkin

The folded napkin

My lunch at the French Laundry

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Every time you mention the French Laundry, a series of questions bubbles to the surface:

A dinner will cost $270, which includes service charge but no extras or wine. Is it worth the price? After all, Meals on Wheels can provide about 50 meals for the price of one lunch or dinner at the French Laundry.

Well, that question will never go away. Is the Paul Cezanne painting “The Card Players” worth $250 million? Obviously it is, because somebody bought it for that price. However, if you were to poll the man on the street, you’d probably have about a 90 percent no vote. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

To a certain extent, high-end dining is like that, whether it’s the French Laundry, Meadowood, Saison or Quince. These places are the absolute top-tier of dining. They’re not for everyone, but these are the places that fuel and inspire others in a way that changes and improves the overall dining scene. Call it the trickle-down theory of artistry.

For example, Keller was a pioneer in giving upscale twists to homey dishes and has inspired more than a generation of chefs. To keep things from getting too serious, this style of irony is sprinkled throughout the menu, from the salmon tartare cones that have become the signature at the beginning to the coffee and doughnuts — round, cinnamon-dusted holes and cappuccino semifreddo — at the end.

The French Laundry, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, has been the pinnacle of dining for much of that time. Yet even though Thomas Keller is the head, several chefs have passed through the kitchen and made their marks in other arenas, including Grant Achatz at Alinea in Chicago and, more recently, Corey Lee at Benu in San Francisco.

Earlier this year, Timothy Hollingsworth left the French Laundry to pursue options in Los Angeles, and David Breeden took over the kitchen. With each new face comes a change in what’s on the plate — but it’s still under Thomas Keller’s watchful eye.

Last weekend I checked out the restaurant again; Keller wasn’t in the house, but Breeden showed he was clearly in charge. You can criticize individual dishes and pick them apart, but the whole is spectacular and the amount of work that goes into each two- or three-bite course is astounding. Things that you barely taste can employ someone for a week. For example, the cheese course features a slice of dried persimmon that looks like a flower. Just to prepare that slice of what’s known as hoshigaki in Japan takes several weeks of hanging and gentle massages by hand.

Every course is like that; every detail is special. We were presented a steak, which the waiter referred to as steak and eggs — it included a platter with the whole chop, two sunny-side-up quail eggs and onion rings all the same size. Then it was taken back to the kitchen, and portioned out. Each diner was given a meticulously arranged plate, with the perfect center slices, as you’ll see in my photos above. Obviously the staff ends up eating pretty well too. There’s only a tablespoon or so of sauce on the plate, but that took hours to make. Some day I’d like to count up the people-hours that go into a single meal.

So the question still is on the table: Is it worth the price?

You decide: Follow along as I document my 18-plus- course menu and a few of the details that make up the dining experience at the French Laundry.